As is well known and understood, the largest percentage of drownings in swimming pool accidents in any given year have been shown to be children generally between the ages of 5-12 years. In most of these cases, furthermore, the cause of the accident is not readily apparent. The question is often times asked, "what caused these children to drown, when they knew how to swim to begin with?". The answer is not easy in coming--at least, in part, because the victim cannot provide any answers to the question.
It is believed, however, that one of the areas for investigation in determining the cause of these accidents involves the swimming pool ladder maintained at the "deep end" of the pool. Observation of the ladder constructions typically employed reveal several clues: a) the hand-rails extend downwardly several feet below the surface of the water; b) there usually are two, and sometimes three, steps of the ladder which extend below the surface, as well; and c) the steps employed do not always extend so as to contact the pool wall.
In accordance with one postulation as to the cause of these swimming pool deaths--and, in accordance with the present invention--, it is quite possible, and has happened, that a child swimming underwater towards the ladder could get his, or her, hand or arm caught in the existing spacing between the bottom step and the pool wall, and as the child's head would already be below the surface of the water, where the child is already low on air, panic might then set in as to how to free himself, or herself, from being caught, with drowning being an unfortunate possibility. Not every child, under such circumstances, realizes the proper course of events, is to swim downwardly, towards the bottom of the pool, so as to free the hand, or arm, which is caught when the natural tendency is to try to break the surface of the water to gain the needed mouthfuls of air.
Even if this hypothesis were not correct, and only fanciful, the "spacing" which exists between the ladder steps and the side wall of the pool is such as to allow for a child's foot or leg to accidently catch in the opening when going down the ladder, and to cause serious injury if the child should then fall forward, into the pool, while his, or her, foot or leg is still held in such manner.